Strikeforce's Frank Shamrock: "I can't have another Nick Diaz night"

http://mmajunkie.comFor all the accolades, all the accomplishments, all the highlights from Frank Shamrock’s near-15-year career, the MMA legend currently finds himself with a mere 1-3 record in his past four fights.

And as the former UFC and Strikeforce champion knows, merely being average simply isn’t an option.

“I wasn’t able to deliver in my last fight,” Shamrock recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “It was a good show, but it was an OK fight. I didn’t deliver a performance. I look at it like, ‘If the actor can’t hold the role, then you need a new actor.'”

Shamrock walked away from the UFC in 1999 after a legendary win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 22. The MMA pioneer fought just twice more over the next six-and-a-half years.

Despite currently feeling a strong desire to continue competing, the 36-year-old knows he has to base his decision on how future competitions would effect his brand as a whole.

“I think I have to (make a decision) just from a smart business standpoint,” Shamrock said. “I can’t have another Nick Diaz night, unfortunately. The reason why people are Frank Shamrock fans is that I show up, and I deliver every time.”

Shamrock entered his April 11 Strikeforce bout with Diaz with a nagging rib injury, but the middleweight said he wouldn’t pin the results of the fight on that setback.

“I’m normally hurt,” Shamrock said. “I can’t take anything away form Diaz. I went in there and fought, and the result wasn’t what I wanted or expected.

“The rib messed me up pretty good. I couldn’t grapple or do much of anything for a couple of weeks. But I went in there believing 100 percent that I could beat Nick Diaz. Regardless of if I had one leg or not, I stepped in there, I picked up the sword, and I believed the sword would strike him down. It didn’t. I just didn’t feel it that night.”

While Shamrock won’t blame the loss on his injured rib, the California resident doesn’t know where exactly to focus the responsibility.

“I’ve never gone in and gotten my ass kicked,” Shamrock said. “I’ve never gone in and not had an outstanding performance, which is what people pay for. It’s a brand-new experience for me, and I’ve always been able to go in there – broken, whatever – and been able to push it aside and perform.

“So I don’t know. Am I getting old? Do I care less? Is it time to move on? I have no idea because this is my first experience.”

Shamrock once walked away on a hot streak, leaving the UFC with a five-fight win streak in the organization – and having compiled a nine-fight unbeaten streak that would eventually reach 12 contests.

With just two wins in six bouts since a 2006 return to more frequent action, is it time once again for the MMA pioneer to focus on his multiple ventures outside of the cage?

“My only regret is that I didn’t start younger and have more years to give,” Shamrock said. “I really think I’m going to go for nine more years, but I also really thought I was going to kick Nick Diaz’s ass.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.